Something clicked with 49ers nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin in the second half of last season. He finished strong once the 49ers went exclusively to a 3-4 defensive scheme. And he has picked up this season where he left off.

Franklin has provided the 49ers with outstanding play through the first nine games of the season. Sports Illustrated's Peter King, one of the hardest-working and most-respected reporters in the country, named Franklin to his Midseason All-Pro team.

Here's an interview I conducted with Franklin on Thursday: 

Generally, nose tackle is not a position that stuffs the stat sheet. However, Franklin ranks third on the 49ers behind Patrick Willis and Dashon Goldson with 56 tackles, including 6.5 for loss. The seven-year pro also has a career-high two sacks, which is tied with New Orleans' Remi Ayodele for most in the league from a nose tackle.

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The 49ers will now have two walk-through practices - short review sessions -- before hitting Lambeau Field for Sunday's game. The club will have a walk through tomorrow morning in Santa Clara before taking a flight to Green Bay on Friday afternoon.

It's rare these days in the NFL for a running back to play as much as Frank Gore. But there's a reason he's always on the field. Of the team's running backs, he's the best runner. He's also the best pass-catcher. And he also handles all of the blocking chores that come along with it as well as anybody.

Gore must be on top of his game Sunday in all three of those areas against the Packers. Here's an interview I had with Gore:

Rookie Scott McKillop immediately entered the game to replace Spikes late in the first half. But veteran Matt Wilhelm took his place at the start of the second half. Wilhelm signed with the 49ers on Oct. 19 when the club placed veteran Jeff Ulbrich on injured reserve.

The 49ers' coaches got a nice head start for preparing to face the Packers. Jimmy Raye did a lot of film study before sitting down with his big-screen high-def TV to watch the Packers face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Chico native and Cal product Aaron Rodgers joined the 49ers writers on a conference call this morning. Rodgers, the starting quarterback for the Packers, opposes the 49ers for the first time in a regular season game. Rodgers said the 49ers still hold a special place in his heart. He said he holds no grudges against the team for not selecting him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2005.

Here is a portion of the conference call . . .

Balmer has not been able to crack the starting lineup ahead of Justin Smith, Aubrayo Franklin or Isaac Sopoga, but he gets action at left defensive end and some at nose tackle in the defensive-line rotation in base situations.

When he has gotten on the field, Balmer has done a pretty good job. Like most defensive linemen in this scheme, he is never going to put up huge statistics. But the team has been pleased that the level of play does not noticeably drop off when he gets on the field. And, from what I've seen, his commitment and hustle has never been an issue.

So, here's my interview with Balmer from earlier today . . . 

On Sunday, the 49ers face the Packers in a game with huge NFC playoff implications. The time seemed right to dredge up the 2005 draft again.

Looking at the schedule a couple weeks ago, that prospect looked extremely difficult.

But after perusing the NFC standings, I've arrived at a different conclusion: There is no question the 49ers are right in the middle of the playoff race, and they're actually looking pretty good.

My replacement computer is on the way after my original was so rudely removed from my parked car outside a S.F. restaurant after Thursday's game. But in the meantime I'm borrowing my wife's laptop to address some topics that have been of particular interest to those who have Tweeted me in recent days.

Quarterback Alex Smith and rookie receiver Michael Crabtree spent extra time together after practice Wednesday. Crabtree said there were some timing issues on the interception in the game against the Titans. Smith admitted to throwing the ball late to Crabtree at the sideline. The pass was tipped and intercepted. "We talked about it and hopefully we're getting better on that," Crabtree said.

Here's a portion of Crabtree's group interview session Wednesday:

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Niners tight end Vernon Davis said he wasn't trying to "call anybody out" or "put anybody down" on the Chicago Bears' defense. He said he was just expressing his confidence with his comments Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Davis said, "I think we can destroy their front. The guys up front, I think we can destroy them. I don't see anything spectacular about their front line."

Today, Davis explained his comments: